I can remember a particular week when one night I had gone out to dinner with some friends. Then another evening later in that same week I was heading out to yoga when I noticed a strange, maybe desperate, look on my husband's face.

He said, "But you already had some 'me time' this week."

This is when I took a big deep breath.

At that moment I chose to believe that he said that because he missed me terribly and preferred me to stay home with him and the kids for some quality time but more likely it was because he would be faced with the heavy task of wrestling 3 kids to bed on his own a second time that week. Poor guy.

After that settled in I took another deep breath to avoid a response that was something like, "So what?"

I kissed his forehead, reminded the kids to give Daddy a tough time (oh, I am kidding... or am I?) and headed off to class.

Now, the big reason why I tell that story is because my hubby (who really is a great guy) tends to lump "Me Time" and "Girl Time" into one big category and I know he isn't the only one. I have many friends who do it, too.

So, I thought we would take an important moment to talk about how "Me Time" and "Girl Time" are really different AND why MOMS NEED BOTH!

Although both fall under the all-important category of SELF CARE, "Me Time" and "Girl Time" are not the same thing. Without a doubt, both are necessary to the health and well-being of a busy mom. We tend to not make enough time in our busy lives for either of these important pieces of healthy living, but we should.

What is the difference between "Me Time" and "Girl Time"?

For me, the big difference between the two is the volume. Funny as that might sound, it is true. "Me Time" is usually pretty quiet, like, listening to your breath-type quiet, filling a bathtub and grabbing a good book-type quiet or the sound of my pen moving across paper-type quiet.

Girl Time is loud. Laughing, talking, and "Oh, you have to be kidding me!"-type loud. It is ordering food-, laughing at stories-, encouraging your girl as she heads up the rock wall-type loud. It is catching up, sharing and laughing out loud with each other.

Why you need both.

"Me Time" is for exploring our thoughts and feeling, restoring, rejuvenating, relaxing, finding our center and our focus. It can be the right time to dive in deep, quiet the mind and focus on ourselves. It is a time to focus on your relationship with yourself.

"Girl Time" is for sharing who we are, sometimes thanks to "Me Time", with other like-minded tribe members. It is the time to talk things out, share things that are on our mind and spend quality time with our community of friends and family. We might need some love and support from them but they might also need our love and support, as well. "Girl Time" is about being an important part of something very special.

Both are important.

Both help us grow.

Both help us thrive.

Both add to the quality of our life.

"Me Time" and "Girl Time" support our health, happiness and overall wellness in different ways. Both are really important to everyone, especially busy moms who can easily get sucked into the chaos of daily schedules and an overwhelming To Do List, often resulting in self care being the first thing off the list to sacrifice.

But if you could attend or even plan a Mom's Night once in a while, or any other way of getting together with your nearest and dearest... then increase the amount of time you dedicate to "Me Time"... it pays off. When I make time for both of these in my own life, I notice what a huge difference it makes. I feel refreshed and energized. I am happier. I am so much more positive in every part of my life as well. These two things are just plain good for the soul.

So, let me ask you... when was the last time you had some "Me Time" AND some "Girl Time" in your life? Is it time to plan for both? Well, then get to it. And let us know how it goes!

Thank you for reading.

Eat well, be well,

Michelle

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